Greg Thomas

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:56 -0500

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:56 -0500

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:32 -0500

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:32 -0500

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

After dragging Greg's antelope out of the hills and getting it skinned and hung in a cool horse trailer, we set out in the truck to scope the hills from a county road. It was the thing to do: after a night in the tent, and a morning hunt, and an afternoon of hard work I was tired and I could see that my father was tired, too. I could hear it in his voice. Don't get me wrong, when we spotted a good buck feeding along a fenceline a mile away, Fred was more than game to go after it. Unfortunately, there was no way to approach the animal without getting busted. So we let the animal rest and continued along the county road.

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

While following the spooked buck we bumped into another group of antelope, these unaware of our presence. That group included a nice buck and Greg made a clean 190-yard shot with his .30/06. The buck he killed carried heavy horns with decent prongs, no monster, but a nice representative Montana antelope.

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

Part of the fun of an antelope hunt is seeing so much game. In the area we hunt, we never range far before spotting speed goats. Not long after we set out on foot we jumped a nice buck. Running shots aren't advisable on antelope so the hunters held their fire. We took some time to let the buck relax and then headed out in pursuit.

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

While the high desert seems empty from afar, when trekking across it hunters find all sorts of life... and signs of life. In central Montana the land is covered in deer, antelope and cattle tracks. Coyotes are frequently seen, along with Hungarian partridge and native sage grouse. Occasionally, hunters bump into rattlesnakes, too. In the area we hunt, we find petrified wood and signs of early native life.

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

Antelope hunting on the Montana plains doesn't isn't as tough as chasing mule deer or elk in the high country, but it does come with its own obstacles. Ducking under fences, climbing steep hills, crawling a hundred yards across cactus-laden prairie, and finding places to cross streams are all part of the fair-chase antelope game.

Some Hunts are Sweeter than Others

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:40:09 -0500

The following morning we crawled out of our tents and were greeted by a heavy frost and a temperature of 24 degrees. As Fred, the artist, scratched an illustration into the frost, the rest of us brewed coffee, chugged down breakfast drinks, rubbed our hands together and set out with binoculars and a spotting scope at the ready.